You can also visit a local Hub (click here to view Hub locations and opening times) where you will be supported to make a homeless application.

Once you have told us that you are homeless or threatened with homelessness in the next 56 days you will be contacted by one of our Housing Options Officers who will take further information from you. They will speak to you about your current situation and work with you to create a Personal Housing Plan (PHP) to try to resolve your homelessness. It is important that you work with your Housing Options Officer and complete any tasks on your Personal Housing Plan.

You will also be asked if you would like to be referred for support.

What will I need to provide?

When you first contact us you will first of all need to let us know how you would prefer to be contacted. This can be over the phone, via email, in person or over videocall either on your own device (using Microsoft Teams) or at the Abergavenny Hub.

You will be asked for:

• Your National Insurance number;
• Information on all household members living with you;
• Details of your income;
• A copy of your eviction notice (if you have one).

You will be asked if you have anywhere to stay, even if temporarily. If you do not have anywhere to stay and we believe you may be in Priority Need your Housing Options Officer will refer you to our Accommodation Team for Temporary Accommodation.

When you make your homeless application your Housing Options Officer will ask you if you have anywhere to sleep. If you do not and your housing officer believes you may be in Priority Need you will be referred to the Accommodation Team for Temporary Accommodation.

What is Temporary Accommodation?

Monmouthshire Council places households in temporary accommodation if they are believed to be in Priority Need, do not have anywhere else to stay and are waiting for an outcome on their homeless application.

Monmouthshire Council has a very limited number of temporary accommodation units.

Everyone placed in temporary accommodation will automatically be allocated a support worker.

What will my Temporary Accommodation look like?

The accommodation you will be offered depends on what is available on the day.

Due to a severe shortage of temporary accommodation, you could be placed in a B&B with shared facilities, or in shared accommodation.

Where will my temporary accommodation be?

Whilst the Accommodation Team will try to take into consideration support networks, employment and schooling, we are limited to offer accommodation that is available on the day.

Will I be able to take my pets?

We appreciate that many households consider their pets to be part of the family, but the number of temporary accommodation units we can access that will allow pets is severely limited. It is very unlikely that we will be able to offer accommodation that accepts pets on the day you contact us.

We may ask you if there is anywhere you can take your pet/s to stay in the interim, or can support you to look at options to do this.

What will happen to my belongings?

Our Temporary Accommodation units will be fully furnished, and so it is not practical for people to take large pieces of furniture with them.

Llamau Assertive Outreach are commissioned by the council to work with those who are rough sleeping in Monmouthshire.

How to tell us about a rough sleeper

If you notice someone rough sleeping it is best to complete a referral to Streetlink. You do not need to approach someone you don’t know to obtain information, but you will be asked to provide details such as where you have seen the person sleeping rough, what time, and what they were wearing/ look like.

Streetlink will then contact the relevant services. You can use Streetlink to report a rough sleeper anywhere in England and Wales.

How to contact Streetlink

Contact Streetlink to help someone sleeping rough

You can contact StreetLink by:

• Signing up online (Click to visit Streetlink website).
• Calling them on T: 0300 500 0914, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week
• Downloading their free mobile app from iTunes or Google Play

What will happen next?

Streetlink will then pass this information to the Llamau Assertive Outreach Service. Streetlink gives you the option to be notified about the outcome of your alert, if this is something that you would like to know.

Many rough sleepers have complex support needs and may be known to services already. In some cases it may take a longer period of support to help someone leave sleeping on the streets. Do not be disheartened if you continue to see a person sleeping rough, please do continue to report anyone that you are concerned about.

Like other local authorities, Monmouthshire activates Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) during periods of extreme weather.

SWEP is designed to protect the lives of those rough sleeping during severe weather events by offering temporary shelter.

SWEP is most commonly activated during periods of cold weather. In Monmouthshire SWEP is activated when the Met Office forecasts three or more consecutive nightly temperatures below freezing. However, SWEP may also be activated in periods of extreme heat, wind and flood.

What happens during SWEP?

Temporary accommodation is offered for the duration of the extreme weather event to those sleeping rough in the county.

What can I do to help rough sleepers during SWEP?

If you see someone rough sleeping in Monmouthshire during the activation of SWEP you can call us on Tel: 01633 644 644 or report the person as rough sleeping on Streetlink.

If you see someone sleeping rough outside of Monmouthshire you can use Streetlink to alert local services in that area.

All local authorities will have a Severe Weather Emergency Protocol.

Do not be disheartened if you continue to see a person sleeping rough, sometimes a person sleeping rough will decline offers of accommodation. Even when this happens offers of support will continue.

Though we will try to accommodate anyone found rough sleeping in the county there may be instances where people return to the street when SWEP has been deactivated. This can be for a number of reasons, but be assured that people rough sleeping can access support services.

View Severe Weather Emergency Protocol for Rough Sleepers – PDF file >

• Monmouthshire County Council’s Decision on intentionality